JAIL THREAT
Water bosses who lie about dumping sewage could be in the dock by Christmas
Only three water execs have ever been prosecuted for obstructing environmental investigations
WATER firm bosses who lie about dumping sewage could be in the dock by Christmas, Environment Secretary Steve Reed vowed last night.
The Cabinet Minister promised Sun readers he would jail polluting bosses, stop spiralling water bills and block dodgy foreign takeovers.
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The new Water (Special Measures) Act, which comes into force today, means for the first time water chiefs who cover up illegal spills face up to two years in prison.
Mr Reed blasted: "The previous government just sat back and allowed record levels of raw human sewage to choke our waterways and we were elected on a promise to change that.
"People who are covering up what’s going on in our water will now face up to two years in prison.
"That is a much tougher sanction.”
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Only three water execs have ever been prosecuted for obstructing environmental investigations – and not a single one was fined or jailed.
Asked if someone could be in the dock by the end of the year, Mr Reed said: “It’s entirely feasible.”
The environment secretary will also hand regulators the power to ban bonuses where necessary and vowed the public will know exactly who’s cashing in.
He said: "Ofwat will do it - you’ll be able to see it all.”
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And he promised to bring an end to rising water bills after Thames Water’s unexpected 47 per cent hike, saying: "I’m absolutely furious about the water bill increases. The public are furious too.
"People are paying the price of 14 years of Conservative failure...
Pesky tourists have turned our spectacular lake GREEN - it's full of sewage & we can't swim in it… they should stay away
"There’s not going to be similar rises. We’ve secured the investment to maintain the pipes and secondly, I’ve set up a Water Commission so we can give the regulator the teeth they need to crack down on this."
The new Water Commission is reviewing the rules that let firms raise bills while dumping sewage - and is expected to make recommendations this summer to reform how the sector is run and how customers are protected.
On fears over foreign ownership of Thames Water – part-owned by a Beijing-linked firm – following the row over British Steel, Mr Reed warned: "We always need to have one eye on national security.
"We’ll make sure there is no inappropriate ownership of assets.”
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